As new methods of processing nuclear fuel or reprocessing spent nuclear fuel are researched and eventually deployed, new methods for monitoring the fuel composition during a particular process are required for safety and to reduce proliferation risks. For example, during the reprocessing of spent fuel using a pyroprocessing technology, whereby the Pu in the spent fuel is collected together with some U as ingots of Uranium-Plutonium (U—Pu) alloy. The Pu content within the alloy may vary over a wide range depending on process conditions. Nevertheless, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and other regulating entities need to verify the amount of Uranium and Plutonium precisely and in a timely manner. In addition, the real-time information of Pu content in the U—Pu alloy ingots is important for special nuclear material control and accountability. Current methods require sample extraction followed by expensive and time consuming analysis, which are plagued by sampling and analytical errors.
Therefore, there is a need for the real-time, in-situ monitoring of Plutonium content in U—Pu Alloys.